The present invention relates to rear view mirrors and in particular to rear view mirrors for fitting externally to motor vehicles.
It is common practice to fit vehicles with one or two external rear view mirrors, in order to supplement the rearward vision provided by the interior rear view mirror. These external rear view mirrors are conventionally fitted to the doors or front wings of the vehicle.
It is the current trend in motor vehicle design to minimise the drag coefficient of the vehicle, in order to improve the fuel economy and/or the performance of the vehicle. In order to provide adequate rearward vision, under all conditions, it is necessary that relatively large external mirrors are used. Attempts have been made to streamline the housing of these mirrors, but nevertheless they contribute a significant amount to the overall drag coefficient of the vehicle. Furthermore, disturbance of the air flow past the external mirrors will increase the wind noise.